The present invention relates to a one-time use camera for preventing the unauthorized recycling and/or reuse of the camera after the film present in the camera has been completely exposed.
One-time use cameras also called disposable cameras are, as their name implies, only intended to be used once. When the film present in the camera is completely exposed or even when the user chooses to, the camera is given to a development laboratory for the film to be developed. The user then receives their developed film with the photos. For its part the camera is returned to the manufacturer of the one-time use cameras to be recycled and reloaded with a new unexposed film.
However, it can happen that the cameras empty of their film are not returned to the initial manufacturer but that a third party recovers them to reload them with a different film which is often of lesser quality than that of the initial film. This can then devalue the make of the camera concerned.
Certain one-time use cameras already provide means for deactivating one camera function beyond a certain limit.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,418,585; 5,517,265 and 5,534,962 describe one-time use cameras provided with a means for deactivating one camera function, which include a counter initialized to a value corresponding to the number of camera shots. The counter is decremented whenever the flash is activated. When the counter reaches zero, one camera function, in particular the flash circuit, is deactivated.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,561 describes a one-time use camera in which a critical component of the camera is deactivated when the total number of shots is reached. For this purpose, the camera shot counter is used, which is a disk on the periphery of which are inscribed the numbers from 0 to the total number of potential shots. The disk is driven in rotation mechanically by the user, with the movement of the film in the camera. A cam, also in disk form provided with a protuberance at one part of its periphery, is attached to the disk and is driven in rotation by the disk. When the counter reaches the value 0, that is when all the camera shots have been taken, the protuberance is arranged to close a switch causing the destruction of the camera""s critical component.
It is the object of the invention to provide a new one-time use camera and a new process that prevents the unauthorized reuse of the camera by a film of different quality, by deactivating one camera function.
The invention relates to a one-time use camera including a film, the camera comprising a shutter release and a device which is adapted to deactivate a camera function in order to prevent unauthorized reuse of the camera. The deactivating device comprises:
a first counter whose value can be changed when it is detected successively that, on the one hand, the film is moved inside the camera and that, on the other hand, the shutter release is activated; and
a detector for detecting the film movement. The camera function is deactivated when the first counter reaches a limit value S.
The invention also relates to a process for preventing unauthorized reuse of a one-time use camera including a film, with the camera comprising a shutter release and a device for deactivating a camera function in order to prevent unauthorized reuse of the camera. The process comprises the steps of:
a) a) emitting a first signal when the film is moved in the camera;
b) emitting a second signal when the shutter release is activated;
c) varying the value of a first counter whenever both signals emitted in a) and b) are emitted successively; and
d) deactivating a camera function when the first counter reaches a limit value S.